Hunter K. Holt

Tubal Sterilization and Cervical Cancer Underscreening in the United States

Background: Tubal sterilization is more commonly utilized by racial/ethnic minority groups and has been implicated in underscreening for cervical cancer. The objective is to determine if prior tubal sterilization is a risk factor for cervical cancer underscreening. Methods: National Survey of Family Growth dataset from 2015 to 2019 used for analysis; data were weighted to represent the 72 million women in the U.S. population aged 22–49. Chi-square tests, Fisher exact tests, and logistic regression were used for analysis. The primary predictor variable was tubal sterilization which was categorized into no previous sterilization, sterilization completed <5 years ago, and sterilization completed ≥5 years ago. The outcome variable was underscreened versus not underscreened. Other predictor variables included age, household income as a percent of federal poverty level, previous live birth, primary care provider, and insurance status. Results: Prevalence of tubal sterilization completed 5 or more years ago was 12.5% and varied by most measured characteristics in univariate analyses. Approximately 8% of women were underscreened for cervical cancer. In multivariable analyses, women with a tubal sterilization 5 or more years ago had 2.64 times the odds (95% confidence interval = 1.75–4.00) of being underscreened for cervical cancer compared with women who did not have a tubal sterilization. Conclusions: Approximately 4.3 million women ages 22–49 in the United States are potentially underscreened for cervical cancer and women with previous tubal ligation ≥5 years ago are more likely to be underscreened. These results may inform the need for culturally sensitive public health messages informing people who have had these procedures about the need for continued screening.

Inequalities in Cervical Cancer Screening Uptake Between Chinese Migrant Women and Local Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Uptake of cervical cancer screening services in Chinese migrant workers is unknown and may be lower than non-migrant workers in China. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among migrant and non-migrant women aged 21-65 at 7 provinces across China and administered a questionnaire investigating knowledge and attitudes regarding cervical cancer, human papillomavirus (HPV), and HPV vaccine. We used multivariable logistic regression to evaluate odds of previous cervical cancer screening in migrant workers. Results: 737 women participated in the study. Mean age was 41.9 ± 7.2 years. 50.2% of the participants were migrant workers. 27.6% of the migrant workers reported previous cervical cancer screening compared to 33.2% of local participants. 36.6% migrant workers reported awareness of HPV compared to 40.2% of local participants. In adjusted analysis migrant status was not associated with increased odds of previous cervical cancer screening (aOR = 1.11 95%CI: 0.76-1.60). High school or higher education compared to less than high school education and employer-sponsored insurance compared to uninsured were associated with increased odds of previous cervical cancer screening (aOR = 2.15 95%CI: 1.41-3.27 and aOR = 1.67 95% CI: 1.14-2.45, respectively). Having heard of HPV compared to no awareness of HPV was associated with increased odds of cervical cancer screening (aOR = 2.02 95%CI: 1.41-2.91). Awareness of HPV among migrant workers was associated with increased odds of cervical cancer screening compared to migrant and local participants without awareness (aOR = 2.82 95% CI: 1.70-4.69 and 2.97 95%CI: 1.51-5.83, respectively). Conclusions: Efforts to increase education opportunities, provide insurance, and promote HPV awareness could increase cervical cancer screening uptake in migrant women in China.

Sociodemographic inequities in overall survival among younger and older women with cervical cancer

Older Black women and women living in areas of low socioeconomic status (SES) diagnosed with cervical cancer (CC) have worse overall survival (OS). The objective was to investigate associations between OS and race/ethnicity and sociodemographic factors in younger (21-64 years) and older women (≥ 65 years) diagnosed with CC using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program data. This retrospective, population-based cohort study included 39,000 women ≥ 21 years diagnosed with CC diagnosed between 2006 and 2020. Age-group stratified Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for age, diagnosis year, and histology examined sociodemographic (rurality, SES, and persistent poverty) differences in OS. In the sample, 82.8% were < 65 years. Compared to younger women, older women were more likely to be non-Latinx (NL) Black (16.0 vs 12.9%) and diagnosed with late-stage CC (67.9 vs 47.5%). Adjusted models suggested younger NL Black women had worse OS than their NL White counterparts (HR 1.45 [95% CI 1.37-1.54]), this association was not found among older NL Black women (HR 1.06 [95% CI 0.96-1.16]). Similarly, younger women in lowest SES areas had worse OS compared to women in highest SES areas (HR 1.82 [95% CI 1.69-1.96]), this association was attenuated in older women (HR 1.27 [95% CI 1.15-1.42]). Finally, younger women living in persistent poverty had worse OS compared to those who did not (HR 1.40 [95% CI 1.32-1.48]), this association was not found in older women (HR 1.10 [95% CI 0.99-1.21]). Sociodemographic disparities were found in CC OS for women < 65 that were attenuated or nonexistent in women ≥ 65 years.